Patterns Used:
– Tips from two blog entries, Time Traveling in Costume’s entry and, Fashionable Frolick’s entry.
Fabrics and Materials for the Muff Base:
– White cotton.
– Polyester fiberfill.
– White thread.
Machine sewing, with hand stitches to finish the closing seam.
My first attempt at making a muff. I think I even had a muff when I was younger, but don’t remember anything about it.
I wanted to make sure I didn’t under stuff the form, but I’m not sure if it’s a little too poofy. It is very comfortable and I think it will keep my hands very warm.
I used scraps of white fabric, so both ends have a seam instead of being a full piece of fabric. I wanted to make use of some scraps I had. One end was sewn together by machine, and the end the filling was stuffed into was hand sewn closed. It’s essentially a long tube sewn into a circle, then folded in half and sewn shut on a side after filling.
Photos of Muff Base:
The base form for the muff — the plan is to make different covers to create new looks to match whatever outfit I sew.
The seam I sewed by hand after filling the form.
Fabrics and Materials for the Burgundy Cover:
– Burgundy satin.
– Black satin.
– Lace.
– Black ribbon.
– Various colored threads.
Machine sewing.
For the first muff cover, I had a lot of fabrics left over to match the burgundy ballgown and matching evening bodice. There was also just enough lace left over, so I decided to use that up.
I looked at a few tutorials, like the blog entries I listed above, and then estimated the dimensions for my first attempt. It seemed to work out fine — I wasn’t shooting for any particular era or style. I mainly wanted something that would keep my hands warm and felt comfortable.
I’m not sure if this version is a little too unweildy or poofy yet (I was a little nervous about under-stuffing the form). I’m hoping to see how a few different covers work out and then possibly make a more streamlined version. My hands get very cold, which triggers fibromyalgia pain. I was determined to make sure whatever I sewed definitely kept my hands and wrists nice and warm!
Photos of Burgundy Muff Cover:
This cover used fabrics and trims to match my burgundy bustle gown.
This cover ties at both ends after it’s been slipped over the muff base.
Fabrics and Materials for the Black Cover:
– Black satin.
– Black ribbon.
– Black sewing thread, and black serger thread.
Machine sewing.
My first muff cover was definitely not a “for every outfit” sort of color and design. I decided I needed something generic — both for different colored outfits, as well as different eras. I did not pay any attention to actual period styles, shapes, or sizes. I just needed something different than the first cover that would fit on the muff form.
I had plenty of leftover black satin, so I knew I could use that as the base. It was made the same way as the last one, except I made it a little wider to see if it covered the sides a little better. I probably would make the next one not quite as wide. It gets in the way of my hands a little, but I still like it.
As far as decorating it, I contemplated getting some black lace gathered in the same way, and then pleating a black ribbon over the center of those. I am trying to keep to a smart budget this year, and since I already had plenty of black satin, I decided to just trim it using the same fabric.
This satin unravels if you even look at it funny, so I decided to trim the edges with pinking shears instead of hemming it. I laid the two lines of gathered trim at the same location as the burgundy muff’s trim is, and used that muff cover’s trim as a guideline for how wide to make the black cover’s trim. I had also serged the edges of the base fabric, to keep it from unraveling.
Photos of Black Muff Cover:
The new black muff cover. I’m hoping to be able to use this design with more outfits than the first burgundy cover I made.
My husband holding the muff with the new cover. Sorry I didn’t get any straight-on photos — the only one I took blurred, and I didn’t notice until I looked at the photo on my computer.
